Transat Jacques Vabre fleet into survival mode

9:43 AM Fri 13 Nov 2009 GMT

For Transat Jacques Vabre fleet it's Friday 13th and someone has it in for them. The fleet is encountering seriously strong winds and big seas. But they have only a short period still to endure before conditions should be closer to the programme.

It's as if the scriptwriters have a hot line to the weather gods. Friday 13th and the Transat Jacques Vabre fleet have their toughest conditions yet, with storm force gusts, mean windspeeds for those in the north of around 50 knots, huge seas and the boats down to tiny sail areas as they live out what promises to be the most difficult period.

True to the plot-line the winds built at around midnight, and skippers spoken to early this morning say they expect to have seen the worst of it by they time they get into Saturday.

Conditions on deck are close to impossible and below decks the duos try to stop themselves from being flung around the inside of their boats like pinballs.

Sailing under deep reefed sails in big seas Roland Jourdain and Jean-Luc Nelias on Veolia Environnement reported this morning that they torn off part of their mainsail mast-track. They waited until daylight this morning and after assessing the damage, have decided that they will make a pit stop in the Azores with the members of their technical team joining them there.

As record breaking British skipper Dee Caffari - the only woman to have circumnavigated the planet non-stop solo in opposite directions - reported from Aviva:

'It's survival conditions. We are just working to get through it, looking after the boat and ourselves.'

Kito de Pavant, from Groupe Bel, summed it up: 'It's a war!'

Jeff Curzon on second placed BT: 'It's horrible.'

Conditions for the group in the south are marginally better but it is the Safran of Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier, in the northern vanguard, which still heads the rankings by 18.7 miles from Seb Josse and Curzon on BT.

In the south Michel Desjoyeaux and J?r?mie Beyou on Foncia are in a SW'ly wind on port tack and have pulled back around 20 miles since last night but still have a deficit of some 245 miles on the leading pack, an seem set to continue into lighter headwinds.

Somewhat ominously perhaps, the boat in the furthest north remains Alex Thomson's black hulled Hugo Boss, was the quickest this morning, with the best VMG of the fleet.

Mike Golding and Javier Sanso retain their third place on the IMOCA Open 60 standings on Mike Golding Yacht Racing just less than 40 miles in arrears to Safran, while Caffari and Brian Thompson and seventh, behind Alex Thomson and Ross Daniel on Hugo Boss whose distance behind the leaders is very little changed since the same time yesterday morning.

Deliverance, in some form, should come at the Azores where the fleet seems set to compact again a little with some lighter breezes, although there are still small systems around to be negotiated or utilised to best effect.

In the Multi50 fleet Crepes Whaou have been sticking to the survival recipe in their new boat but are emerging with a lead of 184 miles. With Prince de Bretagne safely in Vigo, Galicia for assessment and repairs, only three multi's are actively racing just now.

JF Curzon (FRA) BT: 'The conditions are very difficult. Since midnight we have had between 35 and 60 knots. It's tough, it's horrible, it's impressive. You try to preserve the boat as much as you can. The swell is powerful but the most impressive thing is the gusts of wind. It goes up so quickly and that is what makes it so difficult.

Then today maybe round midday it should start to drop. ....there, we have 53 knots of wind, I need to go....'

In his message sent shortly after he confirmed that they were sailing only under deep reef mainsail.

Dee Caffari (GBR), Aviva: 'Things are a bit messy. We have 40-50 knots squalls. It has been like this for the last three hours. We took the staysail down and put out the storm jib but did not unfurl it because we are just overpowered. It is consistently 35, gusting to 40 and 50. It is definitely in for the next 12 hours. It is uncomfortable and there is nothing we can do about it. We just have to survive it and so we are in survival mode which is a bit frustrating, but it is about getting through this and coming out the other side and get back to sailing. The boat seems to handling it well, Brian is a cool, calm cucumber and is having a good effect on me.'

'We've had our fair share of issues and problems but so far we seem to be surviving.'

Sam Davies on Artemis: 'Right in the middle of a very mean and nasty low pressure! Wind speed is currently 48.7 knots, we have had max 55kt so far, and are not yet through it but hopefully another 1 or 2 hours and we will have escaped.

' Three reefs + staysail is a bit too much sail but that is the smallest wehave. The staysail is currently trying to rip itself to shreds as it isa bit tired and the leech no longer holds. Please please let it make it through as we really don't want to have to deal with a shredded staysail too!! We have eased the keel to near centre-line to ease the load off everything.

'Sidney and I are dressed in our oilskins and ready to jump on deck but we'd rather not have to and for now Artemis is doing a sterling job hanging in there. Staying in the bunk is impossible due to the giant wave-jumping action going on and I am actuallu quite proud of myself for managing to write this.

'Cat naps on the floor (where you can't fall any further) are the only rest tonight for now. And even then you find yourself airborne on regular occasions.I can here our Transat Jacques Vabre flag trying to escape its tape on the backstay and it sounds like it is clapping its hands in joy! Not sure why it is so happy??!!

'Bring on the dawn.... although I'm not sure I want to see the size of the waves!!!'

Last ranking

IMOCA
Rank Boat / Sailor Latitude Longitude Speed Cap Dist. But Dist. 1er

1 SAFRAN Marc Guillemot - Charles Caudrelier Benac
2 BT S?bastien Josse - Jean Fran?ois Cuzon 42 26.14'
3 MIKE GOLDING YACHT RACING Mike Golding - Javier Sanso
4 GROUPE BEL Kito De Pavant - Fran?ois Gabart
5 HUGO BOSS Alex Thomson - Ross Daniel 46 37.76' N 29 16.48' W 11.5 196 3554.0 65.8
6 VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT Roland Jourdain - Jean Luc N?lias
7 1876 Yves Parlier- Pachi Rivero
8 AVIVA Dee Caffari - Brian Thompson
9 W HOTELS Alex Pella - Pepe Ribes
10 FONCIA Michel Desjoyeaux - J?r?mie Beyou
11 AKENA VERANDAS Arnaud Boissi?res - Vincent Riou
12 ARTEMIS Samantha Davies - Sidney Gavignet
13 DCNS Marc Thiercelin - Christopher Pratt
ABD BRIT AIR Armel Le Cleac'h - Nicolas Troussel Retired

Classe Multi50
Rank Boat / Sailor Latitude Longitude Speed Cap Dist. But Dist. 1er

1 CR?PES WHAOU! Franck Yves Escoffier - Erwan Leroux
2 REGION AQUITAINE-PORT MEDOC Lalou Rocayrol - Amaiur Alfaro
3 GUYADER POUR URGENCE CLIMATIQUE Victorien Erussard - Loic Fecquet
4 PRINCE DE BRETAGNE Herv? Cleris - Christophe Dietsch
ABD ACTUAL Yves Le Blevec - Jean Le Cam Retired
ABD FENETREA-CARDINAL Alain Maignan - Nicole Harel Retired